Synopses & Reviews
In this wonderfully witty and wide-ranging manifesto, noted book and movie critic David Kipen takes dead aim at that old film school canard, the
auteur theory, and blows it sky-high with a theory of his own that he supports with a rollicking tour through movie history.
Thanks to the auteurists, everyone nowadays credits the director with being the creative genius behind every movie. But, in what may be the first significant counter-theory to the notion invented by legendary critics Andrew Sarris, Franois Truffaut, and others, Kipen says, "Au contraire."
Instead, inspired by "the mother tongue of America's first screenwriters,"he uses the Yiddish word for writer to coin The Schreiber Theory, which decrees that knowing who wrote a film is often a far better-and far more consistent-guide to whether it was any good.
Kipen's new heresy topples the old orthodoxy by studying the careers of the early writers who came to Hollywood from Broadway and the modern scriptwriters coming out of TV. Most usefully, the second half of the book is a who's who of screenwriters past and present, with entries on over 40 of Hollywood's most significant schreibers.
There's plenty of film-world gossip along the way, as well as smart discussion of how the auteurtheory took hold and what some other opponents-such as Pauline Kael-had to say about it. From the early days-when Faulkner, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway labored in Hollywood-to today, when international sales are turning scripts into pidgin affairs, it's a clever and savvy consideration of movie-making from a whole new perspective.
David Kipenis the former editor of Buzz Magazineand has written about movies for The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Boxoffice, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Los Angeles Times. He is currently the book critic for San Francisco Chronicle, as well as a weekly commentator on NPR's Day to Dayprogram and on KCRW-FM in southern California.
Review
"[A] lengthy, tartly written manifesto followed by a wittily annotated filmography of notables." Los Angeles Times
Review
"Kipen's clever, often hilarious kvetch de coeur takes aim at Hollywood and large parts of the film-critic establishment for swallowing the auteur theory hook, line and blurb." Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
With Oscar season upon us, David Kipen asks who's responsible for Hollywood's best movies?
In an edgy and funny manifesto, critic David Kipen says au contraire to that old film school theory the auteur theory that gives all the credit to the director.
Instead, in honor of "the mother tongue of America's first screenwriters," Kipen uses the Yiddish word for "writer" to coin The Schreiber Theory, which decrees that knowing who wrote a movie is often a far better guide to knowing whether the movie will be any good or not.
Kipen's new heresy topples the old orthodoxy by studying the careers of screenwriters past and present in a witty, two-pronged attack: In part one, he dismantles the auteur theory and presents a convincing argument that screenwriters are the guiding creative geniuses behind the best films. In part two, he offers a compendium of mini-biographies of great screenwriters past and present. Who wrote Casablanca? Who wrote Twelve Monkeys? Who wrote Dead Girls Don't Tango? What else did they write?
It all makes The Schreiber Theory an engaging read and a one-of-a-kind reference for movie lovers and film students alike.
Synopsis
With Oscar season upon us, David Kipen asks who’s responsible for Hollywood’s best movies?
In an edgy and funny manifesto, critic David Kipen says au contraire to that old film school theory—the auteur theory—that gives all the credit to the director.
Instead, in honor of “the mother tongue of America’s first screenwriters,” Kipen uses the Yiddish word for “writer” to coin "The Schreiber Theory," which decrees that knowing who wrote a movie is often a far better guide to knowing whether the movie will be any good or not.
Kipen’s new heresy topples the old orthodoxy by studying the careers of screenwriters past and present in a witty, two-pronged attack: In part one, he dismantles the auteur theory and presents a convincing argument that screenwriters are the guiding creative geniuses behind the best films. In part two, he offers a compendium of mini-biographies of great screenwriters past and present. Who wrote Casablanca? Who wrote Twelve Monkeys? Who wrote Dead Girls Don’t Tango? What else did they write?
It all makes The Schreiber Theory an engaging read and a one-of-a-kind reference for movie lovers and film students alike.
About the Author
David Kipen has been one of America's leading book and movie critics for over fifteen years, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Boxoffice, The Atlantic Monthly and many others. He was the editor of Buzz Magazine and books editor of The San Francisco Chronicle. In September 2005, he became Director of the Literature program at the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Washington, DC and Malibu, CA.